Big Grill Mongolian BBQ
28601 Marguerite Pkwy.
Mission Viejo, CA 92692
Before my recent Big Grill Mongolian BBQ trip, I had never been to a Mongolian restaurant, and even after my visit, I still haven't. After doing some research, I found out that Mongolian barbeque was really invented in Taiwan in the mid-to-late 20th century. What a sham! I hope the food is good enough to get me over my disappointment.
Big Grill is not too much to look at. The drab restaurant is located in a Mission Viejo strip mall. On this Saturday night, there were about ten to fifteen people eating here during our visit. There are about five waiters for these six tables, so the service was really good. After being seated, you are handed a menu and asked if you are going to have the buffet. After replying yes, we headed off to the buffet line.
You stuff your bowl with the above curls of beef or pork. They also have chicken and lamb. Next, you add your vegetables. They feature onions, carrots, cucumbers, and more. I also included noodles in my heaping bowl. Lastly, you add the oil. They have three suggested recipes for the cooking oil that you add to your bowl, depending on your mood. These range from spicy to lemony.
Here are the bowls before we handed them to the cook. We sprinkled them with garlic powder and sesame seeds.
Here is the cook preparing our bowls. He does one at a time, so when this place gets busy, the line does get backed up. It takes about three minutes per bowl.
Now, here is the finished product. Mine is on the bottom, and I added Rooster Chili Sauce. It's really great tasting food. It's not too oily, and all of the ingredients were really fresh. Katie really liked hers, too.
The price was right here, too. It was $11 for dinner, and I think I saw that it was $9 for lunch. That is an excellent price for all you can eat. I made two trips through the buffet, and after those two trips, I was stuffed. Rice and rolls are included in the price of the buffet.
Out of five spatulas (in honor of the cooks here), five being best to zero being worst, I give Big Grill Mongolian BBQ three spatulas.
Big Grill does not have a website, but you can find some information here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/big-grill-mongolian-bbq-mission-viejo
I actually liked the review! And it sounds like I might go give this a try. Thanks
ReplyDeleteanonymous, thanks for the comment, hope you do like it!
ReplyDeleteI have eaten at "Big Grill" many times. Your story was a fair assessment.
ReplyDeleteHowever if you want to taste excellent Mongolian BBQ (Whatever that is) try "Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ" in Lake Forest. It is behind Fuddruckers on El Toro. I have been going there since 1981.
I have been going to this restaurant once every week or two for the past several years. The service is good (owners & staff not much personality), the food is GREAT and fresh, the restaurant is clean (a bit simple) but if it keeps the cost down I'm all for it. I have taken my family and most of my friends here, and they love it too!
ReplyDeleteYes, if you want good mongolian BBQ, than Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ in Lake Forest is a must!
ReplyDeleteI have been going to Big Grill for years! Yep, it's a whole in the wall, but it is a great value. The food is fresh and healthy. I give it a 5!
ReplyDeleteHadn't even heard of this one, but like the others I had been to the Ghengis Khan in Lake Forest although not for several years. Used to go there more. It was good and the prices were very reasonable, especially Sunday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI have a wine tasting event coming up:
Zinfandel Grand Tasting & Cookoff
Sunday, April 18th 4:00-7:00 p.m.
Palm Garden at the Island Hotel
660 Newport Center Road
Newport Beach, CA 92660
If you would like to hold a contest for your readers, I can provide you with tickets for the winner.
Please contact me if you would like to participate in holding a contest.
Thank you!
Lori Olsen
editorial@great-taste.net
I am going there this Saturday for dinner with a friend. First time! Hope I like it!.
ReplyDeleteWas down in the general area of this place a couple of weekends ago - looks like it's closed.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - I will have to see if this place is still open the next time I am in the area. Thanks for the comment and the info.
ReplyDeleteThe place is open, the food is good, the cooks are really cool but the service (owner & waiters) is probably the worst I have ever had.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - Thanks for saving me a trip down there. Good to know they are still open. I have heard the same thing about the service here recently. Not a good sign. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteI find myself confused when reconciling your 3 spatula rating with the text of your review.
ReplyDeleteThe description of how you viewed the restaurant in standard food review categories suggest to me that it was a 4 (if not a 5).
Ambiance/Appearance: "not much to look at...drab"
Service: "really good"
Food: "really great tasting...really fresh"
Value: "excellent price for all you can eat"
Did you give more weight the ambiance category? Given your praise
in other areas, what could the restaurant have done better to garner a higher rating?
For my part, I have been there a couple times and agree with the points you make. I give the place a 4.
PNS - The food here is good, but a 4 or 5 rating would really have to blow me away. This restaurant is slightly above average, but not anything that I crave on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteAs you can see from the other ratings, we have given 20 restaurants four or more ratings. That is out of 300+ restaurants. Only six percent of restaurants we have gone to get a 4 or more.
Even though my review of this place was favorable, this place is not one of the top 6% of places we have eaten. Guess I am guilty of being too harsh of a critic.
Thanks for the comment and reading the blog!